Pages

Monday, August 19, 2013

Nate

The thing that I admire most about my brother-in-law Nate is his insane people skills. He is so likeable. The first time that I met him, I immediately loved him. He asked me about living in Buffalo, teaching high school, and growing up with only sisters. It is noticeable how sincerely he cares about people, even when he's just starting to get to know them. He looks you in the eyes and asks the most genuine questions about your life, family, and interests. He listens and interacts and engages. It makes you feel important and valued.

I think this is a really important skill to have, and Nate comes by it so naturally. There is nothing forced or staged about it at all. Ryan has sometimes asked me how he can better connect with his colleagues, his patients, and his patients' parents. Ry is shy and doesn't always know what to say in order to make "small talk." I have told him to be like Nate--to ask lots of questions about the other person so that they feel understood and interesting. This approach is perfect for Ryan because it means that he doesn't have to do much talking! He just has to ask a good question and then listen intently. :) I am grateful to Nate for showing both me and Ryan how this is done. He is a great example to us of how to connect with and love others.

When I am with Ashley and Nate, I love that Nate wants to visit too--he doesn't just go in the other room like so many husbands do. Not that it's a bad thing for a guy to disappear after he's had his fill of the girls' gab, but it's so nice that Nate sticks around for a while to hear the latest news and to show that he cares about us. I've loved the conversations that I've had with him and Ashley over the four years that they've been together. They are two of my favorite people. (As is their little snuggle bug, Kate. She's the cutest.)

Nate is also a great uncle and has always had the magic touch with Noah. In fact, when I visited them last year in Boise, Nate was the only person who could calm Noah down when he was in the midst of a fit. :) Again, I think it's because he is genuinely interested in getting to know Noah and connecting with him. He plays with him and talks to him, and he always seems so amused by Noah's antics and impressed by his new skills. It makes me feel good that Nate loves my son. (And as a side note, I've told Ryan that this is another way to win people over: Love their kids, and they will automatically love you!! Isn't that so true??)

Happy birthday to an awesome man who has taught us a lot about how to reach out to others. We admire you and love you--and we are so glad that we now live close to you, Ashley, and sweet baby Kate. See you soon, Brother!

No comments:

Post a Comment

THE LITTLE GAL

Lover of squishes from Mama, snuggles from Daddy, and tickles from Brother

Who feels content and smiley first thing in the morning

Who needs shoes that will actually stay on her kicking, wiggly feet

Who gives mega-watt grins that melt the heart

Who fears the raucous (but affectionate) smothering of her older brother

Who would like to see her aunties and grandparents more often

Resident of a comfy one-story home where she is the queen

THE LITTLE GUY

Lover of the Polar Express, all things sugar, and his "Baby Sister"

Who feels ecstatic when "chuffing" one of his beloved trains around the house

Who needsexplanations for everything, big and small

Who gives strangers a reason to smile with his friendly chatter

Who fears"spooky" shadows, scary scenes in movies, and toilets that flush by themselves

Who would like to see a friend come over to play every single day

Resident of a house covered in photos of him and his sister

RACH

Lover of conversationswith a kindred, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and Idaho sunsetsWho feels overwhelmingly happy when nibbling on one of her delicious childrenWho needs daily quiet time to thinkWho fears losing someone else whom she loves

Who givescare packages to her friends and love letters to her kids and RyanWho would like to see more openness, compassion, and individuality in the worldResident of a little house with cute daisy bushes in front

RY

Lover of ice cream, the night sky, and dance parties with his happy kidsWho feels glorious at the peak of an Idaho mountainWho needs alone time to just look at the ceiling when he gets home from workWho gives froyo gift certificates and sugar-free suckers to his dental patientsWho fears talking on the phone and settling for less than his potentialWho would like to see family cartrips in a minivan to explore the WestResident of Twin Falls, ID

Follow Our Blog by Email (updates sent directly to your inbox)

Search This Blog

Favorite Quotes

"Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead...Trust God, and believe in good things to come." Jeffrey R. Holland

"I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility...he sees something divine in every other man and is endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." John Ruskin

"God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be." Hugh B. Brown

"You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

"In this life, we cannot do great things--only small things with great love." Mother Teresa"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing." Ben Franklin"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning." Gordon B. Hinckley

"A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." Joseph Smith

"Come what may, and love it." Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away." George Eliot

"If I were sunk into the lowest pit of Nova Scotia and all of the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I would not be discouraged, but hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I should come out on the top of the heap." Joseph Smith

"After the bare requisites to living and reproducing,man wants most to leave some record of himself, a proof, perhaps, that he has really existed. He leaves his proof on wood, on stone, on the lives of other people." John Steinbeck

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself has changed, but that our power to do is increased." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Mary Oliver

"Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them. But do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight." Helen Keller